Doing "That" trip
 

Sadly have to go to the UK in a few hours, I dont want to bang on about it. My Mother unexpectedly died 2 days ago. She had a great innings and we all thought it would be my Father that went first. Luckily for her, she did and she went quickly and without pain.... Well except for the rest of us. But in hindsight this is probably a good outcome from her point of view.

Still just two things I'd like please and fairly quickly... bits of info. How to I get from terminal 3 at LHR to Terminal 5 as I'm going from London to Manchester... Then onto Rhyl. Secondly what is the best local sim card with plenty of data and overseas calls for communicating with family back here.... oh the prefix I use for dialing aus would be good as well. What do I put in front of a Melbourne no say 03-9355-8888 ? or 0400 000000

Need to know in the next couple of hours thanks. As I take off from Melbourne tonight at 11.25 pm.


Hasn't even begun to sink in yet..... I've got over 7 weeks planned in the UK.. and I can stay longer or come back sooner by phoning the airline apparently.

Not looking forwards to being away from my wife and local family here... first time I've spent xmas away from my wife since 1977.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

so sorry to hear about your Mum, but as you say sometimes it's better this way.

The dialling code for Aus is + 63 . So in UK thats 00 63 then leave off the leading zero of the Aus number. Your example then becomes 00 63 3 9355 8888.
Don't know about best SIM card - there's loads of them! you'll have to do a bit of checking but Giff Gaff gets good reports.

From T3 to T5 at Heathrow there are shuttle buses , or you can take the tube. It's all well signposted and there are info desks in each terminal to help you.
Sorry for your sad trip , but enjoy being basck with your Dad for a while. Oh, all my relatives come from around Rhyl - Greenfield, St Asaph, Holywell.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Great that sets my mind at ease Quiltman :) Thanks very much.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

+64

Sorry to hear about your mum Ozzie.

Three does some deals on the international stuff but not sure if it meets your requirements.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Just to give you a big Cyberhug, ozzieeagle, even though I don't know you ;)

I experienced a loss nearly 3 months ago and it takes a while to adjust, and not to mention all the legal stuff which goes on and on and on.

Take Care and Chin up.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry for your loss.

The dialling code is +61 (+64 is NZ and I have no idea what +63 is?).

So from a UK phone it's 00 61 3 etc. or 00 61 400 etc.

Tube is dead easy from T3 to T5 - as stated well signposted and simple even after a long flight.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

So sorry to hear you news Ozzie. It is a tough journey to make, especially without your own family with you. I hope you can make the best of the situation with your trip there. ((()))

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Hi Ozzie, so sorry to hear about your mum.

Just a correction, the dialing code for Australia is +61 not +63.

Hope that helps.

(Sorry, duplicating above post which updated on me. Sorry!)

Kaye

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

So sorry to hear about your loss OE :(

Can't add anything to advice already given except if you both have iphones, facetime and messages are free where you have an internet connection. The alternative would be Skype or messenger (you can make phone calls through messenger but not sure on video calls).

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

All the best. Sad indeed. Hope it all goes well for you over there.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Condolences for the loss of your mum Ozzie. I hope your trip is a safe one and you're home to your wife for a post Christmas hug as soon as possible.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear your news, it is indeed the call we all dread. As others have said +61 3 XXXXXX or +61 4XX xxxxxx for mobiles. I haven't travelled from T3 to T5 but you seem to have got your answers there.

Hope your trip goes as well as it can do.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry about your loss, mate. Have a safe journey home

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Be thinking about you mate. Let us know how you are when you can.

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Huge sympathies E. Safe flight and remember the good times. Also be thankful that she went fast and relatively painlessly. Just totally shit for you and the rest of the family. Take care. Oh and if you meet up with your cousin, give her a slap ;)

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Bit late, but the THREE sim card should be readily available, and the all-in-one-20 gives unlimited data.

https://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/AIO20B

+61 is Aus

Given the regularity this turns up, it ought to be better sorted out methinks.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Glad to hear you are getting sorted now you're over the first shock.

Keep in touch matey, and give me a yell if you need anything :thumbup:

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear about your loss and glad to hear she passed without pain and suffering

Tube between terminals at LHR

I used EE recently. I got a GBP20-odd sim only plan that had heaps of 4G and calls. I used Skype and Whatsapp for international calls. 4G service not as good as Australian cities but I believe that their system is being upgraded. Pick up a cheap smart phone at the same time - EE had one for about GBP40 when I was there

Edit:
Just looked and they have an Alcatel phone that is free if you get GBP20 credit

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

I really wish you were not ,right now, doing 'that trip' but you are. Rotten stinking rats.

It doesn't matter that your lovely Mum has passed peacefully. It matters that she is gone from you all.

The timing is rubbish. I do not know why that is but it seems more often than not.

You have all my condolences for your loss and even that will not be enough. I'm sorry you are from your family and spouse. Been there . Done that and it is not good.

Yes. Practical thought. The airline will be accommodating for you & you may well feel you need that. Horrible thing now. The death cert will be helpful. Take what they will give.

I speak from experience.

I will also go on to wish that you and your family final farewell is as you would wish and that the weather is kind at this time of year.

Also , that your Dad holds up best he can.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

So sorry to hear that Ozzie! As the others have said - Tube from 3 to 5 and it really doesn't matter which telco you grab, in major places the coverage is pretty much the same but none of them are great with international calls! Some have bolt Ons (O2) which reduce the rate and others (like 3) have a pre dial local number which reduces the cost of them. For about £20 you can get a decent data allowance which will allow Skype/Viber/FT connections. And to confirm +61 (and drop the zero) for Aus numbers.

Safe travels and sympathies to you and yours!

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear that Ozzie and would like to offer my commiserations.

Unfortunately my mother died shortly after I returned to Australia after a trip to UK three years ago.....I did not return for the funeral as I had only been back a few days and could not face the trip again. At least I saw her alive but regret not returning.

I hope the trip goes as well as it can.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear your news, Ozzie; thinking of you and yours.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear about that Ozzie.

A bit late, but on the off chance you pick this up, I'm going to disagree with others about taking the tube. Just follow signs for 'Flight Connections' and there are dedicated airside buses that will take you from T3 to T5 quickly. They leave pretty much all the time and I've never had an issue with them.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Just make sure you don't rely on Telstra international roaming

Telstra triples the price of Australian global roaming

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Don't know if you will see this but posting just in case. If you are making your own way from Manchester, I'd say train from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly then from there to Rhyl. Arriva Trains Wales services run direct from Picc along the North Wales Coast. Depending on the timing another option would be from the airport to Wilmslow, from there to Crewe then pick up a Virgin service along the coast but these run less frequently than ATW.

There is a ticket office at MIA (Manchester Airport) who will be able to give you times.

Very sorry for your loss, will be thinking of you.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Yes, sorry I missed your post yesterday OE; heartiest commiserations and I hope all goes smoothly for you - it's hard enough making 'that' trip without the hassles of the travels and all to do at the other end. I've done the trip from Scotland to Melbourne for both my parents so know how you must be feeling. Take care.

As said the dialling prefix varies depending on whether it is landline or mobile (you'll know no Vic state code of 3 and drop the 0 for mobiles, only put in a 3 for Vic landlines).

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Sorry to hear the news, just wanted to offer my support.

Safe travels and I hope the trip goes as well as can be expected.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Right here now and thank you all very much for your great advice and good wishes.

The advice re the sim cards is terrific and will the first thing I do today. Strange coming here to one parent, but my dad is doing far far better than I thought he would. He has a brilliant carer, a lady about early 50's who was his long term neighbour in Prestatyn before he moved to this care place. She not only cares but basically treats my parents like they were her mother and father. So she done everything so far, all the legal phone calls and all the dealings with the doctors. So a massive help. She can read my dad like a book and can change the subject and get him laughing again very quickly... that is totally invaluable.

She even was telling me about getting my dad a white shirt and black tie for the day, told my brother that he should.... then asked me what I was wearing. Which is something I had packed... except my shirt was kind of business suit pink and I was going to buy a tie when I got here. To say she was amazed that people wear coloured shirts to funerals in Aus was an understatement... well the ones I've been to they do.. No way was she going to keep quiet about that. I'm getting a white shirt today. It's great the way this lady cares.

Wasn't a great trip either.... plane delays meant I had no time to relax in transit. In fact in London I was fine with the fact that we landed 90 mins before my departure until the first person that looked at my connect said rush your going to miss it. I wish I could say what happened during the next 3 queues I faced.... but I was getting more and more desperate each time. In fact the shuttle bus one, had some Americans get on the very crowded bus in front of me... The airport people locked the bus gates behind us. The Americans wouldn't move from the doorway to the couple of spots down the bus and were literally blocking the entry... there were only 3 people behind me, and I was freaking at this stage thinking this bus is going to go. So I literally shoved erm out of the way as I said I want to get to the empty spot further down the bus, as they wasn't budging. Nearly some verbals over that one. Bit ashamed of that... but hell everyone in London knows you move inside to the empty spots and dont crowd the f...ing doorway. More of our collective US cousins queue probs inside, as I got rushed to the front of the border control queue... The people heard me explaining my story to the officals manning the queues... I didn't mention personal circumstances just the delays and the flights. Got put right in front of some poor Americans that head been waiting in the lengthy border control queue for a plane they were waiting for, that was leaving in 10 mins... mine was leaving in 40.... Well did they go off... very loudly and for the 5-10 mins I was at the border control queue in front of them.. Cant really blame them, but surprised they didn't talk to the queue officials.

All that and the bloody Manchester plane was delayed for almost an hour. !!!! Gates weren't even open when I got to the boarding area at 2.55 for the 3.15 plane. In fact we didnt take of till past 4pm.

Bloody stressful journey. I'm never going again without a sleepover.... except I said that last time. This time was different... but bugger it, I will take that sleepover no matter what next time.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Didn't you have a Britannic Majesties passport? Border Control should be very quick for us subjects. Maybe they heard your accent and decided that the americans deserved to be pissed off even further - fancy having a holiday to give thanks you weren't Queenies subjects. As for not knowing bus etiquette, americans avoid buses like the plague, and they don't really queue either.

Hopefully you can have some time to collect your thoughts and decompress somewhat, it's bound to be a trying time. Going for a walk in the bracing winter wind could be a good move to get away from the well meaning.

And although it's not top of your mind at the moment, have you thought about the return half of the journey - you are entering slap bang into the middle of the Christmas silly season? It might be best to plan early if you can, give time for ducks to align.

And on an adjacent general point, is there an entry in the wiki on "Doing THAT trip"? If not a cheat sheet might be generally handy for those that get hit with the many issues out of the blue.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Me and my daughters attended the mother's funeral wearing jeans. We didn't own UK winter clothes, let alone UK winter dark 'funeral' clothes. I'd have no problem with someone wearing a pink shirt but then I'm of the mind set that attendance shows the respect, the clothes are irrelevant.

Saying that back in the 80s the MiL gave me an ear bashing for allowing my husband to rock up to a funeral in brown shoes. Wtf it was my fault I never understood:unsure:

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Have a safe trip:fingerscrossed:. Deepest condolences for your loss.:(

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Travelling on my Aus passport... but I've got a lapsed british passport, which I showed them and they basically let me through, but I did have tell them I was staying 7 weeks..... I couldn't even remember my Parents address, because it's all in bleeding welsh.

Maes emlyn or something.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

I think I may be amongst ~ Presbyterian's ~ :eek:

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Good luck, lots of them up that way :eek::eek:

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Prestatynians, surely ....

:getcoat:

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:) like it :thumbsup:

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Thinking of you.Been there.Done that.Give your Mum a good send off.

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Thanks IB and everyone else.

I'm working on my speech, which I always do Poem style as I hate speaking but love singing.... So that gets me through....as it's a half way thing. Gets received really well, to the point that I enjoy getting up in front of people now.

Getting a great deal of comfort and life detail in, going to do my best to make it my finest.

Hope the locals can handle a small amount of irreverence in their church.... I'm going to do it no matter what.

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Give them your best my friend, so they'll be talking about it for years afterwards :thumbup:

Re: Doing "That" trip
 

Arrangements all finalised now and a post mortem done, because of the sudden demise.

Turned out she died of unrecognised Bronchial Pneumonia.... 3 weeks after having a jab for it... Not sure how that works ? This is in a facility where there was supposed to be care on site with a warden etc. My brother and I are in two minds about this. On one hand .... well to be blunt, she died unexpectedly and with very little pain and from her point of view, we both know, she would have been in too much grief and from clear past history would have suffered greatly if my dad had gone first. She had well treated and contained mental health issues you see.

But.... It shouldn't have happened.. there are dead set major medical errors here IMO.

Not sure what to do about this.... as in the long term (3 years or less...maybe more because my dad is a real fighter) she is better off this way.

Not sure how they can call this place a care facility.... They don't even have a warden anymore. Just red bits of pull cords in their houses that they call in an emergency.... oh and a meeting center with a committee.... Whoopy bloody doo. Takes over 24 hours to see a always different GP..... minimum...... or it's AandE.... not the best eh ?